


Danganronpa Killing Game Mix

by SherbetRedWinter



Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, Dangan Ronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc, New Dangan Ronpa V3: Everyone's New Semester of Killing, Super Dangan Ronpa 2
Genre: Canon-Typical Violence, Canonical Character Death, Character Death, Crossover, Fan Killing Game (Dangan Ronpa), Iruma Miu's Dirty Mouth, Kuzuryu Fuyuhiko Swears, Swearing, Yes those are actual tags, might include ships later
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-03-10
Updated: 2019-04-07
Packaged: 2019-11-09 06:10:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 17,054
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17996408
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SherbetRedWinter/pseuds/SherbetRedWinter
Summary: Saihara was meant to attend Hope's Peak Academy as the Ultimate Detective. However, as he walks towards his new school life he suddenly blacks out and wakes up in a place with fifteen other students and a psychopathic stuffed bear.He's not sure how he'll survive when he's stuck with two people shrouded in lies, a girl who can't stay awake, an eccentric musician, a baseball star who wants to be a musician and much more crazy Ultimates.16 students all scramble to escape and solve the mystery of how they ended up here, and who’s behind all of this.(I take a couple characters from all three main games and shove em’ in a killing game. New mysterious, motives and mastermind.)





	1. Prolouge

**Author's Note:**

> I am so sorry for any grammar mistakes I dunno what grammar is I’m just going for it. 
> 
> Anyways so Saihara will be the protagonist, however, we’ll occasionally switch perspective. Some of these characters I like, and some of them I’m not too keen on. Hopefully, I’ll end up liking how the characters interact.

He started to rise to the surface, out of the darkness he had been plunged into.

There had already been the sense that something was wrong, yet he still took his time opening his eyes and adjusting them to the environment. His body felt strangely stiff, frozen in the position of being sat down with half his body slumped over, head resting on a desk.

Even with his tilted view, he could make out the dim classroom, something was obscuring the light. Searching his memories, he tried to remember how on earth he managed to get here and went cold as he came up blank.

What happened?

His last memory had been standing in front of the gates to Hope's Peak Academy, both nervousness and excitement clashing together, bubbling inside his chest and electrifying his whole being. He was about to enter one of the most prestigious schools in the world; a school specifically designed for young, talented students who were the very best at what they did - Ultimates. These Ultimates were meant to raise Hope for the nation's future.

It was hard to feel as though he belonged here, having solved only one major case. He could picture the judgement in other peoples eyes once they learned that, unlike themselves, he was hardly worthy of his talent. They dedicated their whole lives, their entire being, into their talent and yet he had managed to get in by one case of chance.

He was Saihara Shuichi, the Ultimate Detective - a title he certainly didn't deserve to own. Did solving one murder case really make him worthy of attending such an amazing school? Saihara had been mulling over this question ever since his uncle had presented the letter from Hope's Peak, accepting him as the Ultimate Detective. He was extremely reluctant at first, yet his uncle had been over the moon for him; encouraging him and reassuring him that this was an amazing opportunity and he should take it. His uncle had even called his parents and passed the phone onto him once they had finally been reached. They sounded happy for him, happier than Saihara had expected.

Saihara recalled those positive words of encouragement from his family, and he straightened his back as he walked closer and closer to the academy. He could do this. Everything would be fine.

However, he had suddenly been struck by an overwhelming wave of dizziness, and the colours of the academy and students swirled around in his vision as everything fuzzed and faded to black. It had all happened so fast.

And now he was alone in a dimly lit classroom; not a single sound other than his own slow breaths could be heard.

Could he have perhaps fainted from stress and someone had carried him to class? The mental image of passing out in front of everybody rapidly brought heat to his face, and if that had happened then he was absolutely mortified that was his first impression. He didn't want to be remembered as the guy that fainted!

Saihara twitched his hand, feeling the marks and dents of the old desk and slowly propped himself up into a sitting position, trying to ignore how absolutely exhausted he felt.

The clock at the front of the classroom read at around 9:20 a.m. He had arrived at school at around eight o’clock, yet the way his body was acting made him doubt he had only been unconscious for a little over an hour. He didn't sleep well the night before, so maybe that was the reason.

As he rose from his desk, wincing at the way his seat screeched against the floor, he couldn’t help but notice how eerily quiet it was.

Something completely out of place with the classroom caught his eye; a security camera secured on the ceiling at the front of the class next to a monitor. There was also another security camera in the corner of the ceiling at the other end of the room. 

Saihara deduced that this was a very, very weird classroom.

Hope’s Peak had always been known as a weird and wacky school with all sorts of crazy, talented personalities attending, so perhaps this was just a Hope’s Peak security measure? He had seen news reports of people sneaking onto the school grounds to get a glimpse of the wonderful world containing the most talented students. This thought that could’ve justified the security cameras still didn’t quell the sinking feeling in his stomach.

The classroom was oddly dark. Saihara could see light coming out from under the door's entrance, and yet not a single speck of light coming from the windows. The detective walked over and pulled back the curtains. 

Metal... plates? They looked like they were built into the walls, apart of the academy. Saihara would say the security measures were ridiculous were he not so suspicious. 

Before he had much time to mull it over something colourful from the floor snatched his attention - a piece of paper with bright, multicoloured writing. 

_“It’s finally time to wake up and start bonding with your fellow classmates~ Hurry and get acquainted!”_

Saihara almost would’ve assumed that another student had written the note if the circumstances were a bit more normal. Now there was this lingering uneasiness inside him that only seemed to grow.

“Classmates?” Saihara asked out loud. Was he just meant to head out and look around the entire school for them? How was he meant to know someone was a classmate when he saw them? What did this person expect from him? What the hell?

He knew he shouldn't panic. Hope's Peak was eccentric, he knew this, but this was a bit too much for his heart.

There really wasn’t anything else remarkable in the room, and so he felt as though there was no need to continue investigating.

Saihara opened the door and stepped out into a hall; he first noticed the grey coloured walls - unmarked. The floor seemed to be of white marble and looked awfully clean, reflecting the small round lights embedded into the ceiling. In other words, it all looked very expensive.

Across from him was the same kind of door that he had stepped out of, above it read a sign that said ‘class 1-b’. Saihara looked above from where he stood at a similar sign reading 1-a instead. He had woken up in class 1-a.

The left pathway stopped quite short, with a plain door at the end and another security camera in the corner. The right led far away coupled with another pathway branching off, and he could still see many cameras and monitors.

He supposed there was no point in bothering the other class. That, and he would be too embarrassed to ask for help in front of everyone. He turned left, intent on finding someone to fill him in when suddenly the door to class 1-b opened. He paused as he watched a girl walk out, looking slightly disheartened.

The student looked up and jumped slightly when she saw him, however quickly straightened up and began walking over. He quickly took note of her deep red hair and camera slung around her. If he had to take a guess, he would say she was perhaps the Ultimate Photographer.

“Hey! Did you just wake up?” She put her hands on her hips and stood in front of him, eyeing him up and down. Saihara hadn’t expected her to look so irked and immediately tried to think of what he could’ve possibly done to offend her. 

“Y-yeah.”

The girl narrowed her eyes and sighed. “Right, well you’re one of the last ones to wake up, I think. Everyone awake is already taking a look around.” She frowned, worry clearly painted on her face, “You don’t remember how you got here, do you?”

“No. I don’t.” Saihara’s eyes widened and there was almost a sense of relief at the possibility that he wasn’t the only one. However, that was quickly overshadowed by the fear that  _something_ was wrong. A strange, unsettling coincidence. 

“None of us do. I’ve talked to a few other students and all we remember is blacking out in front of the academy.” She looked downcast. “Sorry if I was a little on edge earlier, this is all just confusing. You know we haven’t really been introduced. I’m Koizumi Mahiru, the Ultimate photographer. Nice to meet you.”

Saihara blinked at the drop of information, apology and sudden introduction. He wanted to think over the situation he was in, yet decided that instead, it’d be best to introduce himself as well. If these were his classmates like the letter had implied, he didn’t want to make a bad first impression. “It’s nice to meet you too. My name is Saihara Shuichi, the Ultimate Detective.” He fiddled with the edge of his hat, pulling it down slightly and averting his eyes. Hopefully, she wouldn’t ask about his talent.

“Hey!” Saihara jumped the forcefulness back in her tone. “You should look at me while talking, y’know? Ah... whatever. You seem a little bit more reliable than some of these other guys. I mean you could help us out a lot if you’re a detective, just don’t fall asleep on the job, ok?”

Saihara felt as though he were being scolded, which... was kinda what was happening. He stuttered a reluctant ‘ok’ with an apprehensive smile before she decided to speak again. “We’ve gotta look around and probably meet everyone else. We’re all in some strange situation right now so we may as well get introduced.” Everything had happened pretty fast that it was hard to keep up, and before he knew it the girl strode down the hallway leaving him to trail after her.

It gave him time to think. From what he knew, he and other students had all blacked out in front of Hope’s Peak Academy, and now they had woken up in some strange place with no memory of how they got there. It sounded like something out a mystery novel, and yet it was happening. This girl seemed much more in tune of what was going on, probably meaning that he had been asleep for longer than she had and maybe everyone else. That was a little embarrassing.

As she walked down the hall she made her way to the large, fancy red double-doors to her right. “I haven’t looked around this area much.” She opened the doors and the two of them stepped inside to what clearly seemed like a game room. He spotted a pool table, air hockey table and even a football table. A dartboard and indoor basketball game lay against a wall along with a few arcade games. Saihara couldn’t see very far but he could tell that to the back of the room lay a couple of stairs down to what looked like a casino. However, Saihara’s attention was quickly drawn to the rapid 8-bits sounds emitting from one of the arcade machines. She was easy to miss in the dim neon lighting of the room, but there was a girl sat playing one of the arcade games; the top read ‘Gala Omega’. Koizumi seemed to have noticed too and begun walking over with Saihara following suit.

“Hey.” Koizumi started, clearly waiting for a response from the girl, however she was met with more 8-bit sounds. Saihara tried to make out what was going on, but he was pretty unfamiliar with the game and all he could make out was her firing at some flying enemies. He read her score and-

“Wow! That’s really impressive.” He surprised himself as the sudden praise flew out, but he couldn’t stop himself. Although he hadn’t played many games throughout his life he knew enough to know that this girl was really, really good. Suddenly, she made a small sound as though she had just realised they were there, yet her eyes remained at the screen.

“... Thanks.” Maybe it was just him but she didn’t sound that interested in talking to them. If he were alone he probably would’ve left it at that but Koizumi spoke up.

“Uh, are you just gonna ignore us?” The offended tone in her voice was unmissable, enough to convince the girl to stop playing and turn on her chair to look at them. Saihara couldn’t help but notice the hairpin in her hair was identical to the entity she was controlling on the game; she was clearly a fan.

“Sorry. I just get really absorbed while playing. I didn’t mean to ignore you.” The girl apologised with a frown before tilting her head slightly. “Is there... something you want?”

“We’re introducing ourselves to everyone. This guy here-“ She jabbed a thumb at him, “just woke up. So we’re both taking a look around.” 

It wasn't his fault...

“Introductions? Ah, that’s a pretty good idea. I’m Nanami Chiaki, the Ultimate Gamer. Video games are my hobby and I’m a fan of all genres.” Nanami shot a small smile their way. Now it was completely unsurprising to see her here playing games.

“I’m Koizumi Mahiru, the Ultimate Photographer, and this is Saihara Shuichi, the Ultimate Detective.” Koizumi beamed back at Nanami. It felt weird having his introduction done for him so he finished off with a ‘nice to meet you’. “A gamer though, huh? You must be awesome at games.” Koizumi eyed the score.

Nanami averted her eyes and fiddled with her hands, her cheeks were slightly red. “Thank you."

Koizumi smiled, "More importantly, why are you sitting here playing games? Aren't you gonna look around?"

"Oh... well, I just saw the game and couldn't help myself, I didn't even realise I had been playing for so long, sorry. Um, but it's fine, right? I mean... nothing too bad is happening, is it?"

"It's fine, Nanami-san," Saihara reassured, although he couldn't help but think she should probably be taking this a little more seriously.

“Well, we’re gonna keep taking a look around. See you.” Koizumi began looking around for a second before spotting the stairs that lead down slightly while Saihara said his farewells to Nanami, who turned back to playing her game. She put her hands on her hips and huffed. “Geez, we’re high schoolers. Did they really think putting a casino here would be appropriate?”

“Hope’s Peak Academy sure does have a lot of money.” Saihara had to agree. Just because they had lots doesn’t mean they had to spend all of it.

“Oh, look there.” Koizumi pointed over to a girl observing the roulette wheels; they both made their way over.

She wore a gothic lolita-style dress and had her hair tied up in two large twin-drill pigtails. Her whole attire was adorned with bows and lacy frills and Saihara couldn’t help but note that she looked a little like a doll. As they walked to her, her sharp scarlet eyes turned to them.

“Are you both here so we may be introduced?” The perceptive girl asked and they both nodded. “Well then, my name is Celestia Ludenburg, the Ultimate Gambler, but you may call me Celeste.” That... didn’t sound right. Koizumi and Saihara both introduced themselves (Saihara managing his own introduction).

“Uh, sorry for asking, but is that your real name?” Saihara couldn’t help but question. It was clearly foreign and yet he hadn't heard of it before.

Celeste giggled, putting a hand up elegantly to her mouth. “Why of course. It is the name my parents gave me; my mother of German and my father of French descent.” There sounded as though there were a certain edge to her seemingly polite and elegant tone, something sharp and forceful lying underneath. He must've offended her.

“Right...” Saihara chose not to pursue the topic any longer.

“A gambler, huh? Aren’t you just a high school student though.” Koizumi’s tone was disapproving. “I guess that explains why you’re here. Maybe that explains why Hope’s Peak has a casino in the school.”

“Hm. It’s quite fascinating isn’t it?” Celeste turned to marvel at the casinos and games. “To think Hope’s Peak Academy would implement something such as this. I'm quite grateful.”

They all eagerly agreed that the circumstances weren’t normal at all.

Talking to Celeste made Saihara feel strangely on edge. Almost like her eyes were piercing through his skull, into his brain and reading his thoughts. Those kinds of eyes, the calculating type, made him squirm and try to shield himself.

They both made their way back up the steps and noted that Nanami was no longer in the game room. She must’ve gone exploring too.

They were about to leave when-

“Heeeyy!”

He and Koizumi jumped and turned around. Stood there was a younger-looking boy; a pouty expression was on his face with purple eyes staring at him from beneath a pointy mop of dark purple hair, clashing with pale skin. “You guys are just gonna ignore me and leave? That’s pretty rude.”

“Ah, sorry.” Saihara apologised. He hadn’t even seen him! “I’m Sai-“

“Yeah, yeah, I heard. What really matters is my introduction now! I’m Ouma Kokichi, the Ultimate Supreme Leader!”

“Ultimate Supreme Leader?” Koizumi questioned. “What does that even mean?”

“It means that I’m the supreme leader of an evil organisation.”

“What?” Evil? “There’s no way that’s true.”

“You’re calling me a liar? Ok, even though I totally am, you better be careful what you say. My organisation has over 10,000 members, y’know.”

Saihara narrowed his eyes, curious. “What’s the name of your organisation?”

“It’s a secret, you nosy detective.” Ouma waved a finger.

“I’ve never heard of an organisation like that.”

“Didn’t you hear me? Se-cret~”

Koizumi huffed. “Does this organisation even exist?”

“Who knows? I am a liar after all.”

“So all of that was just a lie?”

“Nope! I really do have an evil, secret organisation.”

Koizumi groaned, loudly. “Alright, well if you’re just gonna keep this up then we’ll be on our way. Come on, Saihara.” Koizumi opened the door and Saihara, not wanting to be left behind, followed after her. It was a little difficult talking to Ouma, so he was grateful for Koizumi’s slightly forceful nature as he would’ve struggled to come up with an excuse to exit that conversation. It seemed as though she had no tolerance for putting up with people like him.

“I’m gonna be honest, I’m glad you’re the one I’m looking around with.” The suddenness of her statement caught him off guard as they both walked down the hall towards the door at the end. “I mean, all these other students are just so eccentric and crazy. It’s really weird talking to them, but you seem pretty normal.”

“Ah, thank you.” His face flushed red and he averted his eyes.

“But, you know,” she turned to him, “I think I overestimated you. I said you seemed like a reliable guy, but I guess I was wrong. Seriously, keep your chin up and speak a little louder. Even if you are a detective, you seem pretty weak.” The statement was so blunt, it hurt a little, but he didn’t know what he could say to refute her except laugh nervously.

They made their way to the end of the hall and opened the door. Inside was a library - a rather impressive one. Saihara couldn’t guess how many books there were as there was far too many to count. 

The library felt a little too impressive, the hallways felt a little too expensive, the casino and game room felt a little too out of place. It was all so intimidating.

Before he knew it they had both made their way over to a girl looking through some books with a scowl on her face. She didn’t look approachable at all.

“Hey!” Koizumi beamed, trying to look as friendly as she could, perhaps missing the girl's body language. The girl whipped her head around to face them letting out a gasp.

“W-what do you think y-you’re trying to do?! Scare me to death? Give me a heart attack?” The girl stuttered, pointing an accusing finger at Koizumi causing her to stumble back in shock. Before Koizumi could retaliate Saihara decided to speak up.

“No, we're just here to introduce ourselves.”

The girl put her hands up to her chest and looked away. “Hmfp. It’s not like you’ll remember it, but my name is Fukawa Toko. I’m the Ultimate Writing Prodigy.”

“A writing prodigy? Your books must be amazing.”

“D-don’t say that when you’ve p-probably never even read one of my books before. Unless...” she paused, “you really do know who I am and you're just trying to mock me. I’m not stupid you know!”

Wha... Saihara had never been more confused. Fukawa seemed to think they had something against her. The two of them put their hands up in denial, shocked at the accusations and Fukawa stalked off, muttering under her breath.

“What... just happened?” Koizumi whispered.

“I really don’t know.”

“You see what I mean though, right?”

“Yeah... kinda.” He muttered. Before he could get another word in, a new presence announced itself.

“Don’t take it personally. Fukawa-san said the same kinda thing to me too." A man with light green hair and piercings stood behind them, holding a friendly smile.

“I see. Who are you?”

“Oh. My name’s Amami Rantaro. Nice to meet you.”

“Great.” Koizumi smiled. “I’m Koizumi Mahiru, Ultimate Photographer.” She gestured to her camera.

“Saihara Shuichi, the Ultimate Detective.”

“Nice to meet you both. I’m a little relieved, you two seem relatively normal.”

“We _are_ normal.” Koizumi insisted. “Well, I know I am at least.”

“Hey...” Saihara couldn’t tell whether Koizumi was joking or not, but Amami seemed to think it was amusing. Suddenly a thought popped into his head. “If you don’t mind me asking, what’s your talent?"

“Oh, right. I’m the Ultimate Adventurer.”

“Wow. You don’t look like the type.” Koizumi blinked in surprise to which Amami laughed.

“I get that a lot.”

Talking to Amami was nice. He seemed so laid back and calm that it made Saihara feel at ease. It would be nice to have a friend like him.

Next to the library seemed to be a laundry room. There they saw someone looking around. “It’s a pleasure to meet you. My name is Tojo Kirumi, and I’m the Ultimate Maid. If there is any request you wish to be fulfilled, please come to me and request my services.”

“It’s fine.” Saihara said, “You don’t need to do that for us.”

“No, I insist. It is a maids duty to carry out any request asked of her, therefore I would appreciate servicing you.”

“But we’re high schoolers. You don’t have to do that kind of stuff for us even if you are a maid.” Koizumi countered. "Even if it is your talent."

Both Koizumi and himself kept trying to reassure Tojo that she didn’t need to serve them, however, the Ultimate Maid didn’t seem swayed by their words and just told them to seek her out anytime they have a request. She told them she was inspecting the laundry room to see how high quality the machinery was, and if it simply would’ve seemed better to wash their clothes by hand. They were both stunned at her unbelievable dedication as a maid.

Turns out the washing machines were of very high quality, no less expected what with all the casinos and fancy hallways. Saihara defiantly didn’t remember anyone mentioning how much Hope’s Peak Academy cared for aesthetics.

“Don’t you think it’s strange?”

“Huh? What do you mean?” Koizumi frowned, yet Saihara picked up on what the maid was saying and spoke up.

“It is odd that we’d have a laundry room in a school.” Tojo turned to him.

“Yes, that’s right. To my knowledge, Hope’s Peak Academy has never had dormitories before. It would be peculiar for them to not inform us or address it.”

“Ah! I see what you mean.” Koizumi took in the laundry room again. “You blacked out too, right? Something clearly strange is going on.”

“Indeed. I will continue to have a look around and see if I can find anything of use or an explanation to our mysterious situation.”

They thanked Tojo and headed out. Next to the laundry room were what were obviously restrooms; the boys on the left and girls on the right. They both went into their respective gendered toilets and came out with nothing new except more marvelling at the luxury of it all, even if they were just restrooms.

They made their way to the end of the hall, trying and failing to open the double doors left of them, before walking down a long hallway with arch-shaped, curtainless windows. Something caught Saihara's eye. 

More metal security sliders.

"I saw those earlier." Koizumi frowned. "It feels like... we're on lockdown or something. I could believe Hope's Peak has this."

"We need to find some adults," Saihara said and received a nervous nod.

"Also," she started, "the stairs are blocked off by some big gate." His eyes widened and he felt cold. 

Just what was going on?

Heading back the way they came, they went along a different pathway and into what seemed to be some kind of gift shop. Nothing caught their eye expect the bright colours, trinkets and plushies which didn’t even have prices on them, so they both headed out and the path then opened up into a large room. A fountain lay in the middle and on the roof there was a circle-shaped metal plate probably covering up a window. Two pathways led off and there was another set of double doors. However, what was most noticeable was the girl sat by the fountain, eyes closed, and such a serene smile on her face that Saihara felt bad for approaching her.

“Oh my, my! You’re both new! Atua told me there was still more of us.” She beamed. “I’m Yonaga Angie, the Ultimate Artist.”

The cheery, carefree voice uncomfortably cut through the nervous atmosphere around them. Although he wanted to think more about what was happening, there was something Yonaga had said that had him curious.

“Atua?”

She smiled. “The god of my island, who is with me always and speaks to me. I can hear him.” 

“Oh, really...” Saihara wasn’t sure what god she was talking about, but it was clear this girl was very devout as her eyes practically sparkled when mentioning her god. “So, you’re an artist? What kind?”

“Almost any kind you can think of! Mainly painting and sculpting though, but Atua does it all through me.”

“Atua... paints?” He questioned, disbelieving.

“Yep! He’s the one who creates the art. He truly is amazing, y’know.” He and Koizumi looked doubtful, yet they weren’t about to say anything against her.

“What are you doing right now?”

“I’m breathing in this wonderful new environment Atua has blessed me with!” She spread her arms out as if to show off the place. “Angie wouldn’t have gotten here had it not been for Atua. He creates the artwork through me; without him, I wouldn’t be the Ultimate Artist. It’s all thanks to him, praise Atua!”

They quickly exited out of that conversation. She didn’t seem so bad. Saihara supposed there wasn’t anything wrong with being that cheerful and carefree, yet they still had more pressing issues to face. Saihara was about to think about their predicament before banishing the thoughts. Answers would come eventually. He hoped.

The double doors led into a dining hall; to their left, a bit of wall separated the dining room and the kitchen. Saihara didn’t have to look to know that it would look pristine and new, as the long dining room table covered with a long white cloth - embodied flowers down the side - spoke for itself.

“Look at this place!” A voice boomed causing them to jump. “Gah-hah-hah!! Having a good meal here won’t be a problem.” A large, well-built man chuckled.

“Who are you?” He asked.

“I am the Ultimate Team Manager, Nidai Nekomaru!!!” He bellowed.

“I’m Saihara Shuichi, the Ultimate Detective. Nice to meet you.” Nidai gave him a disapproving look.

“Is that all you’ve got? Try again, but this time louder!!”

“... Ah, no thanks.”

“I told you, ‘not so loud’. Jeez, why don’t guys ever listen.” Koizumi rubbed her head, sighing which only prompted Nidai to let out another boisterous laugh. Apparently these two had already met.

“Wait... you’re a team manager? What team do you manage?” Saihara asked.

“Not just one team, Saihara-kun. I move around a lot, help sports teams that are failing and I set them on the right track.”

“Right...” Koizumi looked thoughtful, “you’re the guy that led that baseball club, on the verge of shutting down, to national victory, right? You’re pretty reliable, huh? Even if you are way too loud.”

Nidai seemed to not have heard the last part. “Haha, thanks! Don’t worry, with hard work, dedication and my training you’ll be a great athlete in no time”

Saihara had no desire to be an athlete, and he guessed Koizumi didn’t either by the way she looked at him. They both waved goodbye to Nidai before leaving.

Turns out that one of the two pathways by the fountain lead back to the classrooms they had been at before. Going down the other hallway led them to something both unexpected, yet not too surprising.

“Dormitories?” Koizumi asked aloud. Down one side there was a hall for the boys, the opposite hall for the girls. “Wait, they really expect us to live here?”

“That explains the laundry room.” Tojo was right.

“No way, this is too sudden! They can’t just force us to live here. Where are the teachers anyway?" Koizumi's voice raised and she turned to him with wide-eyed panic. Saihara froze as he had no answers to give her.

 _Make a connection_ , he thought. They all fell unconscious, not a coincidence; drugged maybe? The doors were locked and metal security sliders covered the windows; a lockdown? They're trapped on the first floor. They're trapped and don't have any memory of how they got here.

Scarily, it sounded like a kidnapped.

Before Saihara could answer her, a clear, authoritative voice broke them out of their bubbling panic.

“You two!” Someone dressed in a kind of white military-style uniform marched up to them.

“Are you alright? What are you two doing just standing around?”

“We- We’re just thinking.”

“It would be more productive of you to help the rest of us explore the school! Standing around will not solve anything.”

“We’re just about to.” Koizumi defended with narrowed eyes. "This is Ishimaru Kiyotaka, he's the Ultimate Moral Compass."

"I'm Saihara Shuichi, the Ultimate Detective."

“It is a pleasure to meet you, Saihara-kun. I will continue exploring the school, and I hope to see you two do the same. When we all start classes together, work your hardest and make sure to dedicate every ounce of your being into your studies!” And with that Ishimaru walked away.

“How annoying,” Koizumi muttered, “Does he even realise how serious this is?”

Although he was a little too... enthusiastic, he really felt dedicated to his work. That kind of passion, Saihara couldn’t help but be just a tad envious of.

On the doors to their rooms, pixel sprites of the students - half of whom they’d already seen - lay on top. Saihara could recognise his own room by the sprite of him on the door closest to the entrance, and he couldn’t help but wonder who the hell had the time for all of this? He also spotted Ouma, Amami, Nidai and Ishimaru’s rooms. 

Past the dormitories, at the end of the hall, a large metal gate blocked off a staircase leading up and a strangely shaped hole was located next to the gate. It looked as though something was meant to be placed there. 

“Guess that’s a dead end.” Koizumi turned back the other way. “Ah, Saihara, there’s a little bit more for you to look at, but I’ve already been there. I’ll keep taking a look around if that’s ok? You  _can_ investigate on your own right?”

“Yeah.” How long had he been asleep for? Koizumi started to walk away. “Ah, wait.” She stopped and turned around giving him an earnest smile. “Thanks for looking around with me.”

“It's no problem, Koizumi-san. Thanks for looking around with me too."

Although she often seemed annoyed by a lot of what the other students did, she really was a generally friendly and kind person. The thanks she gave him made him irrationally happy. After so much confusion and chaos, it was nice to be thanked and made him feel as though he had managed to do something right. He was the Ultimate Detective, right? So wasn't he meant to do something about this? Find the answers and provide them to everyone else, yet he was just as confused - if not more so - than Koizumi was.

After she was gone it occurred to him that he should’ve probably asked more about her talent. He didn't really know much about her, but they'd see each other again, right?

He'd continue looking around on his own, meet the other students and hopefully find out what was happening.

Saihara went back down to the classrooms woke up in from the fountain, briefly pausing to admire it, before opening the door. He was met with another hallway and as soon as he took a few steps he could hear what seemed to be muted yelling from behind a light pink closed door.

Opening the door, he could now clearly hear the sounds of arguing.

“For fuck's sake, get off my damn back already!”

“The hell do you think you’re doing? You can’t just steal medicine!” Shouted a shorter boy in a well-tailored looking suit. His anger was directed at a girl clas in a hot pink uniform.

“I can and I will! The nurse ain’t here, so what the fuck do you want me to do?” She yelled.

“Maybe not steal drugs?!” He glared at the girl, looking both tired but also extremely pissed. Saihara took a step forward, successfully drawing their attention.

“Uhh... what’s going on?” The girl in pink whipped her head around before turning away with a pout.

“None of your fucking business.”

“She’s trying to take some drugs from that storage room.” The boy motioned his head to the door he was standing in front of. It looked as though he were blocking her from entering with his body.

“What?!” Saihara was stunned. He heard the shorter boy mutter something along the lines of 'this is fucking stupid'.

The girl moaned in frustration. “This sucks. It’s not like anyone’s around.”

“T- That’s not really a reason... to...” Saihara trailed off as the girl shot a fierce glare his way. “A-Anyway I’m just here to introduce myself.”

“Hmpf, I can’t believe you’ve never heard of me. I’m the one and only legendary Ultimate Inventor herself - Iruma Miu!”

Before he could ask any more questions, the boy started walking past them towards the exit. “Ah, wait!”

The boy stopped briefly and turned his head to give Saihara a glance. “Kuzuryu Fuyuhiko, Ultimate Yakuza. I don’t plan on getting friendly with any of you, got it?” and before Saihara could even think of what to say in response, Kuzuryu left the room.

“Baby-faced bitch just has a stick up his ass.” Iruma waved her arm as she approached the door the yakuza had been standing in front of. “You’d think he’d be cool with this, being a yakuza and all.”

Saihara couldn’t help but think she might have a point. “Wait, you shouldn’t-“

“Not you too!” Iruma opened the door and past her, Saihara could see shelves stacked with medicine and lots of sealed boxes. “I’m just gonna take a look, ok? So calm the fuck down.”

What else was there he could do? He certainly wasn’t gonna physically drag her way and it didn’t look like she would back down. He didn't want to get in trouble for this either.

“You’re gonna get in a lot of trouble.” He sighed, annoyed, not expecting her to listen to him and yet her demeanour changed.

“G- Geez... I just said I would look.” After sensing he wouldn’t interfere any longer, she turned her attention back to the shelves and looked them up and down.

Both the yakuza and inventor didn't seem awfully friendly, and Saihara could see why they devolved into an argument. He exited the infirmary and headed into a slightly open area with potted plants on the side and a circle of benches with three people on them, luckily not arguing or acting hostile towards each other. 

“A new challenger approaches!” A girl with wild, multi-coloured hair pointed at him and they all turned to look.

“Oh, thank god it's not that uptight dude again.” The tall guy with wild brown hair breathed out a heavy sigh of relief. "Who're you?"

“I’m Saihara Shuichi, the Ultimate Detective.” He responded.

“Hagakure Yasuhiro, Ultimate Clairvoyant. Nice to meetcha!”

"I'm Kuwata Leon." He grinned.

“and I’m “Mio,” “da,” “I,” “buki.”” The girl greeted.

“Ah," Mioda Ibuki was that? "I see. It's nice to meet both of you.”

“Oh, oh! And Ibuki’s the Ultimate Musician.” Mioda cheered.

The ‘Musician’ talent he could understand, but the ‘Clairvoyant’ talent? Not so much. And also...

"What's your talent?" He asked the fiery-haired boy which earned him a scowl.

"Ultimate Baseball Star, but forget about it, ok? That's behind me and I'm gonna make it big as a musician! Just comin' here to get people talking."

Mioda sighed. "Good luck with that."

Kuwata turned to her and pointed, "Look! You can help me can't you, you're the Ultimate Musician. Just get an agent to scout me and teach me what to do and maybe even-"

"Nooope!" Mioda sang and covered her ears. "Leon-chan just wants the aesthetic and fame of a lead singer!"

“Woah, Woah, everyone chill. How bout we head in this sauna and chill?” Hagakure motioned to the open door behind him.

“Uh-huh. Ibuki didn’t know they had a sauna here. She wants to head in there right this second, she can’t take the anticipation!” Mioda flipped attitude and was practically bursting with energy.

“What’s the point in waiting? We're here to have fun, right?”

“Uh, guys. We should really find out what’s going on before doing anything like that.” Saihara said.

“Shuichi-chan is right! Ibuki can't be trapped here! She wants to break out and run free in the wild.”

Shuichi?! Mioda seemed awfully friendly. “You don’t need to do that.”

The three of them didn't seem to be taking their situation at all and seemed unbelievably carefree.

"I can't help but asked, by 'uptight dude', do you mean Ishimaru-kun?"

"Yep, yep! We were just talking and he was all upset that we weren't looking around, so we said we would and he left, but instead we just sat down and talked." Mioda said.

"Yeah, seriously he just needs to-"

_*Ding dong, bing bong*_

Hagakure was cut off by the sound of a bell. A monitor in the corner of the room flickered and fuzzed with static, showing a shadowed figure. Something that certainly wasn't human.

And then he heard it...

A distorted voice.

"Mike test, Mike test, one, two, three! This is a test of the school broadcast system. Can everyone hear me? Ahem, all students must now make their way to the gymnasium so we can begin our entrance ceremony. Remember that's the gymnasium. I'll be waiting."

They continued staring at the screen even after it had lost its light. After wandering around almost aimlessly something had finally happened and Saihara wasn't too sure if this was a good thing. That voice... it didn't sound human. 

"Seriously?" Kuwata sighed, "Well fuckin' finally. C'mon, let's go." Kuwata already started making his way out of the room and Saihara followed. 

"Yahoo! Let's get this party started!" Mioda cheered and bounced up. "Wait, wheres the gym?"

They were all so relaxed. "Um... there was a couple of doors we couldn't get into so I think that might be it?" 

But was this really ok? 

The door that he and Koizumi had previously tried opening was now unlocked. They had to walk far to get there and so were some of the last people to arrive. 

It was a standard gym. There were doors off to the right yet they'd already been informed by the rest of the students gathered that they were locked. Saihara could spot everyone he had been introduced too - not one person was unfamiliar to him.

"C'monnn!!" Nidai boomed.

"Yeah, we're tired of waiting," Ouma whined, "hurry uuuppp."

"Nidai-kun, Ouma-kun, please be patient!" Ishimaru said.

"Tch... shut up... T-This is too weird..." 

"Don't worry, Toko! Everything will be fine cuz we have Atua protecting us." 

"D-Don't try recruit me into your s-shitty cult."

"Can you guys please be quiet" Koizumi scolded. Before Saihara could approach the person he'd become most familiar with, he heard that voice again.

"That's right! It's time for the main attraction so everybody pipe down! It's finally time to get this show rolling!"

Everyone whipped around to stare at the podium, confusion and anticipation eating away at them. Suddenly, _it_  popped out from behind the podium and sat on top leaning into the microphone. A black and white bear; on one side it's eye a jagged red, and it's mouth a wild, sharp grin sat there looking down at all of them.

"Wha?! It's a stuffed bear!" Mioda shrieked.

"Wrong! I am not a stuffed bear. I am Monokuma, this schools headmaster!"

What the hell was this?!

"A bear?!" 

"Everyone calm down. There's probably just a speaker inside it." Ishimaru's shocked and nervous expression betrayed his reassuring words.

"I... am... Monokuma! No stuffed animals here! Seriously, this is our first meeting after all this time? How cruel..." The bear wave his hand- paw. "Anyway, settle down students. Everyone, stand at attention and bow! And... good morning!"

"Good morning!" Ishimaru greeted, filled with passion. Fukawa grimaced.

"Y-You don't have to s-say it back..."

"Now then, let us commence with a most noteworthy and memorable entrance ceremony! First, let's talk a bit about what your school life here will be like. Now, ah, make no mistake - you few talented students, so full of potential, represent the hope of the world," He grinned and giggled, like he had told some inside joke, "and to protect such splendid hope, you will all live a communal life together solely within the confines of this school. Everyone will live in harmony together, and adhere to the rules and regulations of the school."

Saihara supposed that after everything he'd seen it should've been expected. The laundry room, the dormitories, and yet hearing it didn't make it seem any more real than before.

"Ah, now then... regarding the end date for this communal life... there isn't one! In other words, you'll all be here until the day you die! Such is the school life you've been assigned to."

"Wh-What did he just say? Until the day we d-die?" Fukawa stuttered, but this time out of clear confusion and fear.

"Oh, but fear not! we have quite an abundant budget, so you won't lack for all the common conveniences."

"Who cares about that?!" Hagakure exclaimed.

"What the hell is this shit? I ain't living here." Kuzuryu spoke up, his face red with anger.

"You never fucking told us about this!" 

"It's the truth! I'm beary serious, I'm no liar." 

"Good! I guess we can trust you then." Ouma put his hands behind his head, looking unnaturally calm. Saihara thought he heard Celeste mutter something about the horrible bear pun, but he was too caught up in the absurdity of the situation.

"Ah, and just for your information, you're completely cut off from the outside world. So you don't have to worry about that dirty, dirty land beyond these walls ever again!"

"Wait!" Saihara spoke up. "You mean... you won't let us out of the school?"

"Hmm... you're a bit too far ahead, Mr. detective. I was going to get to that later" The bear looked down, he looked gloomy and his tone suggested disappointment. "No need to worry though because the important thing to remember is that no matter how much you yell and scream no one will come help you. So just live here and have fun!"

"Come on, what the hell is this?" Kuwata asked, pale. "I don't care if the school or whoever else is behind it all, this is just a really bad joke."

"This is fucking ridiculous, and it ain't funny so just cut it out," Kuzuryu growled, and bared his fist at the bear after recovering from his initial shock.

"Hey.." A cautious voice spoke up from the crowd. "There's something else you want from us right? Just telling us we're all meant to live here together, that's not all, is it? You should hurry up and tell us the rest." Amami stared up at the bear, almost challengingly.

"Oh-ho? I guess you're right. Asking the real questions I see! You're right, you're right, I suppose there is something else I have to mention. There is one way for you guys to leave the school.."

"R-Really?"

"Huh?!"

"As headmaster, I've crafted a special clause for those of you who would like to leave! I call it... the graduation clause. Now, let me tell you about this fun little rule. As I mentioned, in order to maintain an environment of harmony here, we rely on a communal lifestyle and, if someone were to disrupt that harmony, they and they alone would be allowed to leave the school. That, my students, is the graduation clause!"

"What does that mean?" Saihara asked, fearfully. He didn't want to know the answer, but he _had_ too. The bear laughed in response, putting its paws up to its mouth.

"Well... If one person were to murder another..."

And with that one sentence, everything came crashing down.

"What?!"

"Murder?!"

"Are you fucking serious?!"

It was hard to make out the voices from the sudden eruption of cries and gasps and the cold feeling of ice that had been dumped onto Saihara.

"Stabbing, strangling, bludgeoning, crushing, hacking, drowning, igniting, how you do it doesn't matter. You must kill someone if you want to leave. It's as simple as that. The rest is up to you. Give it your all to achieve the best outcome in the worst way possible." That damned laugh rang out, painfully grating against their ears.

"What the fuck? Screw that!" Iruma spat out, quivering. He could see Mioda foaming at the mouth, looking awfully light-headed.

"What the hell are you talking about?! To kill each other is... it's...!" Monokuma interrupted Kuwata.

"To kill each other is to kill each other. I'm sure there's a dictionary here somewhere if you need it."

"This is a real un-fucking-funny joke!" Kuzuryu looked less red, and a little more white.

"Joke?" Monokuma paused before he started jumping up and down in what Saihara thought was anger. "You think this is a joke? Think you're suddenly gonna wake up back in your nice warm beds? Think everything's gonna go back to the way it was before? Nope! I'm 100% serious. All you bastards better get used to living here and if you wanna kill, go for it! Kill to your heart's content, any way you want! You're all the world's precious talented students, aren't you? So you should be able to handle it! Haahh... I tried explaining best I could and yet you still don't believe me. What's a bear to do..."

Everyone held their breath, not knowing what to say. They'd been kidnapped and were now being forced to... kill each other? The seriousness of the situation slowly started to dawn on everyone. Well, almost everyone.

"Alight, come on. How long are you gonna keep this up?"

"Eh?" 

"You got us, okay? You scared the hell out of us. So you can go ahead and reveal the trick now." 

"Reveal the trick?" Monokuma tilted his head at Hagakure, standing there calmly. 

"Yeah, cuz I mean. Y'know, this is all some kinda trick and all, right? So uh, like..." He trailed off, perhaps expecting Monokuma to confirm his statement by telling him it really was all a trick. Yet all the bear did was stare.

"That's it!" Kuzuryu shouted. "You're one fuckin' small ass bear. Ain't like you can do anything against us."

"He's right!" Nidai boomed. "Let's teach this guy a lesson!"

Suddenly, Nidai took a large step forward and cracked his knuckles with a smirk on his face. Saihara swore he could see lighting crackle out from his eyes. Kuzuryu, despite being a lot shorter and a lot weaker looking, mimicked the action, still somehow managing to maintain the same deadly aura that surrounded Nidai. Surprisingly, Tojo stepped forward as well. 

"We shall get rid of him at once." She glared at the bear.

"Uh-oh! My own students? Trying to stand up against their all-powerful headmaster? And after all the work I put into this... I slaved away day and night, for hours on end to create this wonderful environment for all of you, and yet you want to end it before it's even began?" He looked downcast. "That's just cruel..."

"Tryin' get us to kill each other is what's cruel!"

Kuwata was ignored. "I can't have my own beloved students overthrow me, so..." He jumped off the podium, spinning around and landing on the floor with his arms out wide. "C'mon then! Man versus bear, it's a tale as old as time!"

They all stepped forward. 

"Buuut... Just know that any violence against the headmaster is strictly prohibited. Anyone caught breaking any of the rules will get punished. I know what you're thinking. 'All we have to do is get rid of this adorable bear and we won't have to worry about dying', well too bad! There are hundreds more of me just waiting for their chance to take the spotlight!" They faltered. "I'm sure you guys don't wanna die before the games even begun."

"Y-You're kidding right?" Fukawa stammered.

"Guys." Amami stepped forward, not out of aggression, but instead trying to placate the three that had stepped up to Monokuma. "It's not worth it if what he's saying is true."

Kuzuryu, Nidai and Kirumi all seemed to calm down and step back, although they looked reluctant to do so, especially Kuzuryu, who had a noticeable scowl.

"That's more like it! One more thing..." Everyone tensed up as Monokuma produced a small tablet. "These are the official student handbooks. They're all fully digital so they've been blessed with the name, 'e-handbook' which is absolutely vital to your school life, so don't lose it. When you start it up, it will display your name, and always make sure you have the right one! It's completely unbreakable so don't worry about breaking it! Make sure to find the school rules and read them all thoroughly. You all best bare it in mind that I won't tolerate any breakage of the rules, society would collapse without them, y'know. Well, that's it!"

"Um!" Nanami spoke up, looking nervous. "What is we don't kill anyone? Do we have to stay here forever?"

"Hm... Probably! If you want to leave, you gotta kill. Those are the rules, remember? Anyway, I'll be leaving you guys to get settled into your new home, you better get comfy cuz you guys are gonna be here a while. Upupupu, Bye-o-nara!"

"W-Wait just a minute!" Koizumi's cries went out without an answer. The bear mysteriously vanished into thin air.

There was a heavy silence, and for a few seconds, nobody could speak. The reality of the situation weighed down on everyone. All of them were stuck in a mysterious place, away from their friends and family, being forced to kill each other. How could something like this happen? Saihara felt stiff, frozen and cold. The intense pressure in the air hung heavy around everyone's necks before someone tore through it.

"... Man, this sucks." Ouma sighed dramatically, pulling out his e-handbook and looking through it. "I hate rules." 

"Rules are essential!" Ishimaru countered.

"S-Shut the fuck up!" Iruma cried. The atmosphere didn't completely dissipate, however, the voices of the other students seemed to let everyone gather their bearings and relax slightly.

Despite the yelling, everyone still ended up following Ouma and looking through their own handbooks. Saihara's name popped up and he navigated through the settings to get to the school rules.

  1. Leaving the school campus is unacceptable.
  2. "Nighttime" is from 10:00pm to 7:00am. Some areas are off-limits at night, so please exercise caution.
  3. With minimal restrictions, you are free to explore Hope's Peak Academy at your discretion.
  4. Violence against Headmaster Monokuma is strictly prohibited, as is the destruction of surveillance cameras.
  5. Anyone who kills a fellow student and becomes "blackened" will graduate, unless they are discovered.
  6. A max number of two students may be killed by one person, exceeding this number will count as a rule violation.
  7. The body discovery announcement will play after three or more students find the body.
  8. After a body is discovered, an investigation period will take place before a class trial is held.
  9. During the class trial, if the majority vote for the blackened, they alone will be executed. If the majority vote for anybody other than the blackened, they alone will escape and the remaining students will be executed.
  10. Additional school regulations may be added as necessary.



"I see, these are the rules we must adhere to." Celeste put away her handbook and looked up at everyone's pale faces, smiling. "These rules are certainly strange, are they not?"

Everyone knew what rules she was referring too. Body discovery announcement, investigation, class trial, execution - all things that Monokuma had never mentioned, and they were now left to mull over what it could possibly mean. 

"I'm presuming," Amami spoke up, "This means that if any of us were to kill another, we'll all have to find out who did it. If we don't, we die. If we do, the "blackened" will be executed and we'll continue living here."

"Monokuma wants us to solve murders?" Nanami questioned, face pale.

"Yeah, looks like it, but that's only if a murder does occur." Amami said.

"W- what the hell, we're not detectives!" Kuzuryu barked.

"That's a lie! We have an Ultimate Detective right there." Ouma twisted and pointed at Saihara effectively drawing everyone's attention to him.

"Well isn't that fucking convenient," Kuzuryu said.

"Look," Koizumi spoke up deliberately, "there isn't any need for that because no one here is going to die!"

"You seem quite confident," Celeste turned to stare at Koizumi, eyes narrow and sharp, "none of us truly know each other. Some of us perhaps have friends and family to get back to. Do you really believe nobody is considering murder? Do you really believe nobody will kill another?"

 Everyone grew quiet.

The fact that Celeste wasn't denying the possibility of someone being killed shattered the illusion that none of them would even consider doing something so horrible.

It was ridiculous. Wasn't it just this morning that Saihara had been eating breakfast with his uncle and aunt? They'd been enthusiastically talking about how this would be his first day at Hope's Peak. He tried to hide his nervousness, yet his uncle had seen through him anyway, reassuring him that everything would be fine.

Saihara wished he had never stepped out of the door, for his uncle was so very wrong. 

He swore he could see a few students back away from each other along with worried glances, beads of sweat and shifty eyes. How could they trust each other? None of them knew what the other was thinking, they'd all just met and now they were being told to kill, to _murder_. They were all tense and eyed each other warily.

The heavy atmosphere was thick and suffocating causing Saihara to hold his breath in case he choked on it. Suddenly like a stone penetrating through still waters...

"Screw this, I ain't waiting around to find out!" Iruma immediately shot towards the doors, no one recovered from their shock quick enough to tell her to stop. When everyone found their voices again, she'd already left along with the faint sounds of her heels.

"We should all work together to find a way out of here!" Ishimaru suddenly spoke up. Several of them nodded their heads in agreement, deciding that they needed to leave at once. 

"No thanks." Kuzuryu was already heading towards the double doors, Ishimaru immediately began protesting. "Listen up, I'm not getting comfy with you guys. I'll find a way out on my own."

"There goes another one." Amami sighed.

"Wait for me!" Surprisingly, Ouma called out whilst running. 

"And... another one. Anyways, you're right, Ishimaru-kun. First things first, we should all group up and look around, try to find an escape or something. Anything useful will be good." No one questioned Amami and all started to get into random groups. The groups decided were Saihara, Celeste and Ibuki; Ishimaru, Amami and Nanami; Kirumi, Angie and Hagakure, and Koizumi, Kuwata and Nidai. They then realised Fukawa had sneaked off while they were grouping up.

They all left and were about to split up until the previously locked doors by the gym burst open. Iruma stood there shaking but it was what was behind her that drew their attention.

The outside.

The bright sunlight shone out for behind Iruma's figure. Apparently, in her panic, she had rushed out the first pair of doors she had seen not knowing that they should be locked and had stumbled outside. Kuzuryu and Ouma had found her gaping at the view and all gone out to look with her. 

"I couldn't stand being out with those assholes any longer so I came to get you dumbasses." She explained. All sixteen of them stood outside, some went inside a large nearby shed and some stood by the bars. They stood there with shocked, horrified expressions as now their half thought-out plan to get out the Academy wound up useless as now that they were outside, they realised they had another problem to deal with.

It was ridiculous, maddening and just plain insane.

A gigantic cage encased them within the Academy.

Saihara wanted to faint. He felt like he would faint, or maybe he felt like throwing up.   
  
Beyond the cage was a forest and Saihara couldn't see much further. He supposed it didn't matter, for now, they had a new horrifying realisation.

"We're not at Hope's Peak." Nanami breathed out whilst clutching her hands up to her chest. 

"What- then where the hell are we?" Kuwata grit his teeth, one hand clenched around the bars. With the other he punched the cage before drawing his hand back, wincing. 

They just stared and stared, dumbfounded. It took about a minute of panic before they all roughly got their bearings and decided to explore.

They all explored whatever they could reach outside, the gigantic cage surrounded the entire "academy". 

There wasn't anything too noteworthy apart from brick pathways that led to two different entrances to the inside of the academy, to the warehouse and another fountain.

Iruma became invested in what was in the warehouse and decided to stay and look around telling them she'd report what she found.

"We can't give up!" Ishimaru declared as they all met up again. "We have to continue our search indoors."

They all ended splitting into the groups they had assigned earlier barring Kuzuryu, Ouma, Iruma and Fukawa, who were still inside.

They all made their way back inside the Academy and Saihara decided to walk back to the classroom he had woken up in, Celeste and Mioda by his side. There might've been something he missed.

It was time to find a way out. Anything would help, anything at all. There was no way Monokuma would get what he wanted. 

They couldn't stay here.


	2. Daily Life - Starting Bonds

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Saihara and co further explore their surroundings and he attempts to bond with some students.

Saihara's group - consisting of two polarising personalities - decided to head back to the classrooms as Saihara had mentioned wanting to take a closer look. There was something odd that he couldn't quite place, and now that his head was much clearer and more awake, it seemed like the perfect opportunity.

The metal sliders were gone from the window which must've retracted into the wall. If Saihara had looked out the window and saw the cage when he woke up, he surely would have been sent into a frenzied panic.  

"This is where I woke up." He stated whilst investigating.

"Really? That’s boring. Y’know Ibuki woke up in the sauna, it’s like the world was telling her to 'relax', but she couldn’t cuz she was sooo super confused!" Mioda put a hand to her head and scanned the classroom, but he had a feeling she wasn't really paying attention. "You weren't asleep for that long, Shuichi-chan. Ibuki was gonna explore before she saw Yasuhiro-chan lying on the floor like some passed out bum." 

"Hm, I see. I woke up inside the casino and had a short conversation with Nanami-san and Ouma-kun before taking a look around." Saihara listened with one ear to Celeste recounting how she woke up. 

"Well the sooner we get out of here the better. Ibuki can't write songs like this, although she can think of a good title for one right now. It's called, 'Please help! I don’t wanna die in school!'.

Saihara’s face scrunched up at the poor choice of title, but then he put a hand up to his mouth in contemplation, having noticed something odd with the room.

“Is something wrong, Saihara-kun?”

“It’s just... the room looks pretty clean, but the desks are all old and some are even dusty.” The desks and chairs had all sorts of marks and dents all over them which contrasted with the immaculate floor and walls.

“It is quite odd, but I’m not sure what that means.” Saihara guessed Celeste wanted him to elaborate.

“Ah, well it’s just that if this were a regular academy then you’d think the walls would be dirty and marked too, but it’s like this academy was built recently... and old desks from somewhere else were just moved in.”

“Uh, Ibuki doesn't get what you're saying.” Mioda whipped her head from the desks to the walls, getting closer - way too close - to the desks with narrowed eyes. “If we're not actually at Hope's Peak, then were these desks stolen from there?”

"That... might be true." He mulled it over. What kind of organisation did this? An organisation with a plethora of money and resources yet couldn't afford new desks did this? No... he didn't have enough information right now to make any solid conclusions. Instead, he'd just store this in the back of his mind.

Going into the classroom opposite showed almost an identical version to the one they had just been in.

Looking around hadn’t revealed much more and Saihara was anxious that he would take too long and keep the others waiting, so he headed back to the dining hall where they had all promised to meet up and share their findings. Their group arrived second, Koizumi’s group, along with Iruma and Fukawa, scattered around the room.

They all made small talk before the remaining two groups came back along with Ouma and Kuzuryu.

“Guess you couldn’t get out yourself, huh?” Koizumi crossed her arms and pointed a glare at Kuzuryu causing him to scowl.

“Shut the hell up.”

“Guys, it’s not the time for this.” Amami’s cool tone calmed the upcoming argument. Kuzuryu's face twitched, but he turned from the group and stood noticeably further away as if he didn't want to be associated with the rest of them. “What did everyone find?”

“The gates sealing off the stairs... they just wouldn’t budge.” Nidai looked down in shame, clenching his teeth and fist. “I tried over and over again, but if I kept going I would’ve had to shit!!”

“D-Disgusting...” Fukawa grimaced.

“So we can’t go to the second floor at all?” Nanami titled her head.

“Seems like it.” Koizumi sighed. Having gone with Nidai to check the stairs along with Kuwata, she must’ve seen his futile efforts at opening the gate. Nidai defiantly looked like the strongest one amongst themselves and so he couldn’t help but be disappointed.

“Angie’s group opened up the dormitories with our handbooks!” Yonaga spoke up. “There’s a device at the side of each dormitory where you can scan the back of your e-handbook. The rooms look pretty comfy!”

“I keep telling you it doesn’t matter if they’re comfy, I don’t wanna live here.” Hagakure moaned.

“The rooms are very basic with only the bare essentials for a living environment such as beds, showers, toilets and sinks.” Tojo listed her findings. “There’s also a monitor and camera in each one, but thankfully none in the shower."

“Camera?!” Fukawa exclaimed, clutching her hands to her chest.

“Gross! No surprise people wanna watch the gorgeous girl genius sleep, even if it is fuckin’ creepy.”

“I, along with both Nanami-kun and Amami-kun, found a swimming pool and changing rooms! You can get to the pool from the gym which is now unlocked.” Ishimaru stated.

“A pool?” Ouma’s eyes sparkled.

“Gyahaha! A pool was the only thing missing.” Nidai said.

“It doesn’t matter that there’s a pool, I thought we were trying to get out of here!” Kuwata exclaimed.

“We’ve searched all we can, yet there does not seem to be any means of escape.” Tojo had spoken up with a calm, even tone.

“Any information we get can be beneficial to us, yes?” The gambler wore a smile that seemed to almost always be presented. “Saihara-kun found that this academy we are staying in seems to have been built as of late, yet some furniture used, like the desks in the classrooms, are old and decayed. Like some old re-usable props.”

Saihara felt a bit embarrassed that his leadless observation was being put out there. There was a short silence before- 

“An academy built just for us?” Yonaga put both her hands up to her cheeks in what looked like mock shock. He couldn’t tell.

“It would explain why the structure of the building is almost immaculate. It does not have the appearance of something that has been around for a while.” Tojo nodded her head, confirming her beliefs in the theory. Nanami hummed.

“So you think whoever’s trapped us here built this place just so we could kill each other?”

“Indeed,” Celeste affirmed. This place was built just for a killing game happen? To kidnap students and force them to kill each other? However, there were still so many unanswered questions; like who did this, and why did they do this, and how on earth do they escape? Those were just a few important questions Saihara was trying to focus on. Tons of others floated around in his mind, but focusing on too many at once would overwhelm him. It was better to think over the most important parts first.

“Nobody has to worry. A killing will certainly not happen!”

Ishimaru’s loud and authoritative voice boomed out across the dining room. He stood there pointing at them with a determined, fiery expression. Saihara could almost feel a powerful aura radiating off of him; not one of physical strength, but one of mental fortitude.

“Is that so? Do you swear on your life?” Ouma grinned as he leaned forward in his chair.

“Of course! None of us will kill another, I will take it upon myself to protect all of you and see to it that we all become the best students we can possibly be. We must adhere to the rules, keep looking for a way out, and in the meantime, study vigorously! As we will not be attending classes, we must do our best to keep up on our studies so that when we do return to school we will not be behind.” The first part of Ishimaru’s speech was pretty inspiring. Saihara couldn’t help but admire someone so strong-willed, yet the second part caused his face, and several others, to drop. Studying? In this situation? There was no way anyone would do that. Ishimaru continued before a voice cut through his ramblings.

“Ahem! None of you have asked me about what I found.” Iruma exclaimed. She put her hands on her hips as everyone turned to face her and stared at her with expectant gazes as she stood there.

“... You gonna tell us?” Hagakure asked.

“Well, it would be nice if you fuckin’ asked me first!”

“We’re sorry Iruma-san, could you please tell us?” Nanami gave in without much complaint, and she didn’t seem to mind.

“Fine, since you’re beggin’ for it so bad. The brilliant me found a bunch of tools and machinery in the warehouse.” A light blush overtook her face and she fiddled with her hair. “It’s perfect for me, I could whip up all kinds of inventions.”

“Well then make us an invention to get us out of here.” Kuwata crossed his arms.

Iruma snapped her head towards him, “Genius takes time, dumbass! And you think I’d waste this golden brain of mine on you?”

“We’re all trying to get out of here! You just gonna leave by yourself?!”

“Ugh, it doesn’t matter.” Koizumi tried to stop the upcoming argument. “We’ve got something to work with so that’s good, right? What now?”

‘What now?’ Was indeed a good question. All of them searched as much as they could and the result ended up practically nowhere. It was better than nothing and the warehouse Iruma mentioned might be worth checking out, but for now... what would they do? What could they do?

“We should rest,” Nanami said, “Today’s been pretty stressful for all of us, let’s all take a break for now."

“Yahooo! Ibuki’s exhausted, she’s gonna sleep forever and ever and ever!” She hollered not seeming tired at all.

“T-That’s called d-dying.” Fukawa scowled and suddenly the nervous energy bundled up inside everyone seemed to dissipate as they all agreed before leaving.

Saihara headed to his room and swiped his e-handbook over the scanner next to the door hearing a ‘click’. He managed to twist the doorknob open revealing his room. There was nothing too special or noteworthy about it; a blueish-grey double bed to his right, some shelves in the corner and a door at the back leading into a bathroom. It looked a little bit higher quality than his room at home, perhaps even a little more expensive. Wasn’t anything luxurious, but it appeared better than what Tojo had made it out to be. 

However, Saihara couldn’t feel comfortable here, even if the bed was soft and the room clean. Even if this was his room, Saihara hoped it would never feel that way. He didn’t want to get comfortable enough in this place that he would start calling it ‘home’. He had a room back at his uncle’s place that he’d call home without any doubt.

This was a prison before it was anything else.

Saihara lay on top of the bed, not sure whether he should get under the covers. Time seemed to fly by; the more Saihara thought, the more his head hurt. They all promised to meet up at six o’clock in the evening so he had a bit of time to kill before then. He could try sleep but that would be unproductive. No, he knew what he had to do. It was his job as the Ultimate Detective to solve mysteries, and so he had to help in some way.

That title... with it came immense pressure. He'd be fine if he was just known as a random detective, but not the  _Ultimate_ detective. Now everybody would expect so much from him and be disappointed when they realised that they were in the presence of just a random junior detective and not an Ultimate.

He _had_ to do something.

As a detective, everyone was probably expecting him to come up with answers, and so he had to try.

 

* * *

 

Ishimaru was right, the doors to the pool really were unlocked right now. At the end of the pool, there were two doors which lead into both the boys and girls changing rooms which then both lead out into the hallway. The pool was nothing special, pretty standard. He’d expected it to look more, well, impressive due to the expensive-looking building, but he supposed it was to match the whole ‘academy aesthetic’ the builder decided to work with.

Next, he headed outside once again. There were quite a few trees and a couple of plants. The edges of the academy didn’t have ivory or plant life growing around it or seeping into the cracks which only reaffirmed that the academy had been built recently. Saihara made his way into the warehouse, he was by no means an inventor or mechanic, but it couldn’t hurt to just take a look inside. However, he should’ve known he would run into Iruma.

“Gya-ha-ha! I should’ve known a virgin like you would try find me. Couldn’t keep your eyes off these big boobs of mine after seeing them, huh? Bet this is the first time a pervert like you has ever seen a hottie like me that wasn’t 2D.”

He didn't understand how Iruma came up with this kind of stuff or why she even blurted it out, and he didn’t even understand too well what she was saying, but he knew damn well he didn’t like what he was hearing.

“Pervert? I-I’m not-“

“Save it. I know a pervert when I see one, the hat gives you away.”

“I’m not!!” Saihara hunched his shoulders, pressing his hat further onto his head if it was even possible. He couldn’t help but feel offended and annoyed at her accusation. She could’ve made fun of his clothes, but his hat? No way. However, Iruma ended up flinching.

“O-Okay, I was just joking, d-don’t be mad...” She sniffed and Saihara had to wonder if he was looking at a completely different person. What was even weirder was that when he apologised she then did another 180, her expression hardened. “Yeah, whatever. Anyway, it ain’t too fancy in here so don’t get your hope’s up, for a genius like me it’s all pretty disappointing.”

Saihara would have to disagree. Although the outside didn’t look like much the inside was nothing to sneeze at. “It looks pretty impressive though, I don’t really understand what most things are in here.”

“Well, of course ya fuckin’ don’t, why would you? You don’t have my gorgeous golden brain so you wouldn’t get what a single thing in here is for. At least you ain’t being a cheap ass and pretending you get what all this stuff is. You’re just a baby beta male, aren’t you?" Saihara watched Iruma cackle as she picked up a toolbox and let it clang heavily against the table before she started shuffling through boxes and shelves, picking some metal pieces up before chucking them away. It created a constant painful clanging that irritated his head.

“Well, I’ll leave you to do that then.” Saihara ignored her previous comment and quickly exited, the sound still there even after he closed the door.

He was completely out of his element in that room and Iruma looked as though she knew exactly what she was doing. He supposed if she did find anything noteworthy, she’d bring it back to the group

 

* * *

 

Saihara knew there were still more areas to investigate - like that insane cage - but he ended up having to go back to the group with nothing new to report. He had spent too much time lying around. Hopefully, that come dinner time, they’d wouldn't ask for answers he simply didn’t have.

Although he didn’t want to be the first one there, he arrived a bit earlier than intended and found the Ultimate Moral Compass standing there. In the kitchen was Tojo whipping up something and Koizumi was hovering nearby.

“I’m glad you’re early, Saihara-kun.” Ishimaru praised with a smile on his face. "I hope everyone else arrives on time."

“I’m sure they’ll be here soon.” Saihara was partly correct. Everyone eventually started trickling into the dining hall however there were some that took forever to do so such as Celeste, Kuwata and Iruma. They got an earful from Ishimaru, earning some glares being thrown at him.

Tojo and Koizumi came out with plates of food, setting them down on the table while everyone sat down.

“I must thank you once again, Koizumi-san. I’m very grateful for your assistance, but please do not worry and leave everything to me.”

Koizumi smiled brightly at Tojo. “It’s really no problem, I’m happy to help. It’s not your job to do all this for us, the boys-” she glared at some of them, “should be helping us out and not leaving everything up to us girls.”

"Hey, what the hell?" Kuwata asked, irked. Mioda then chirped up.

“Kirumi-chan and Mahiru-chan did all of this themselves? Uoahh! So reliable!”

Koizumi waved her hand. “No, no! Kirumi-chan made all this food for us, I only helped set up the table and carry it out. This delicious meal is all her.”

A chorus of ‘thank you’s’ went around the table which Tojo humbly accepted. They ate in general peace before the uncomfortable topic of their escape was brought up, but no new progress was made with nobody had found anything noteworthy to report.

Saihara kept his head down, staring at his food as he brought it up to his mouth. He’d investigate the cage next, see if it had any weak spots. They hadn’t looked at it much, his shock and horror probably inhibited his ability to think straight at that moment. A memory jumped forward, the rule that stated that leaving the campus was prohibited. Now that he thought about it, the campus probably referred to both the academy and field surrounding it, the cage being the line in the sand they couldn’t cross. They'd be punished if they did. As he thought a hand waved wildly in front of his face and he shot back in his chair.

“Woah, Shuichi-chan’s all jumpy! But it’s not Ibuki’s fault, he wasn’t answering.”

“Ah, sorry. What’s wrong?”

“Ibuki wanted to know what Shuichi-chan was thinking so hard about. He had this super, super serious look on his face, so Ibuki wanted to know what’s up! What is it, huh, huh?”He was taken aback by Mioda’s energetic enthusiasm over something so simple.

“It’s nothing much, just thinking about what I can do to help everyone.” Before coming out with his suspicions, he wanted to investigate first to validate them.

Mioda nodded her head and smiled. “Ooo, cool. Ibuki wants to help too but she’s not a super-smart detective like Shuichi-chan. She would play music to lift everyone’s spirits, but there aren’t any guitars around.” Her expression became a childish pout.

He gave a small chuckle. "I'm sure you'll get to play once we get out of here."

Mioda jumped in her seat with a smile. "Yeah, yeah, you're right! Ahaha. For that, Ibuki will give you a special performance when she gets back on the stage." 

"Ah, thank you, Mioda-san." He smiled and started to feel a bit more uplifted. Mioda's carefree attitude was almost infectious.

Kuzuryu was the first to get up, taking his plate with him.

“Before you go, Kuzuryu-kun, I must inform everyone to meet here tomorrow morning at 8:30 a.m. for breakfast and our strategy meeting.”

“Yeah, sure.” Kuzuryu dumped his plate in the sink.

“I havesomething important to say before you go too.” Everyone turned to face Celeste, “No doubt we have all read the rules by now, and if I’m honest there is one that concerns me which is the second one.”

“... The one about nighttime?” Nanami asked.

 _"Nighttime" is from 10:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m. Some areas are off-limits at night, so please exercise caution,_  Saihara remembered.

“What about it?” Hagakure asked.

“The rule does not forbid walking around at nighttime which I believe poses a problem. When night arrives, we will all be anxious and afraid, worried that someone might try and kill us. Such a tense atmosphere simply cannot be good for us, therefore, going out at nighttime should be prohibited. No one will be forced to comply with this rule, so we must all agree together.”

“Seriously? That sounds so suspicious.” Ouma said nonchalantly.

“Do you have any other ideas? Or perhaps you simply don’t like the rule. We’ve been trapped here with no way out, and so to adapt is to survive. Do you honestly believe we shouldn't take any precautionary measures to prevent a killing?” Celeste countered and Ouma laughed.

"Jeez, that was a lie, Celeste-chan. Of course I know that no one can be trusted! Anyone could snap and break your neck, y'know."

Saihara stilled as the others shifted uncomfortably. There was the undeniable truth laid out in front of them all, the truth he didn’t really want to face.

They couldn't trust each other.

"Atua thinks that's a wonderful idea! Truly what a magnificent thought." Angie was practically beaming. "But how would we enforce this rule?"

"We just have to agree. Even if one person decides to break the rule, as long as it's only one person leaving that should prevent a killing at nighttime, and if we find out someone left their room then I believe a punishment is in order." The gambler smiled.

"'Punishment?'" Iruma mirrored. "Should've known you were a kinky little-"

"Atua agrees again! You must be hearing his voice, you two are practically in sync."

Celeste sighed, "I am not sure about that..."

Kuzuryu groaned.

“Jesus Christ, fine, I’ll stay in my room after 10 p.m. Happy?” He didn't wait for a response and marched out.

“On behalf of all the men here, I agree to comply!”

Kuwata leaned forward, turning to Ishimaru, “Hey, you can’t just decide to speak for us!”

Everyone agreed to the rule, it'd be weird not to. They had all made this rule and 'trusted' each other enough to follow through with it, doubting whether the rule would be effective was like being suspicious of the others. You would practically be saying you think someone would kill another.

One by one everyone finished up and left the dining hall. Tojo and Koizumi were left to clean up after everyone, so Saihara decided to help. The two girls thanked him before they all started to clean up. If they were going to live there for however long then they may as well take care of the place, even if it was a prison. As he cleaned up, he mostly heard Koizumi gush over Tojo and throw a few snide comments about some of the guys not helping, turning to Saihara and warning him that he ‘hadn’t proved himself yet’. He wasn’t sure what kind of test he was being put under, but it couldn’t hurt that he was apparently doing better than the other guys.

Saihara decided to head back to his dormitory with Koizumi whilst Tojo made sure to do one last sweep of the place. The walk was short as the dormitories were just down the hall, but before Koizumi could walk the other direction-

“Uh, I never properly thanked you for helping me look around earlier.” Saihara held his hat and then drew his hand back before deciding to fully look her in the eyes. “I was really confused when I woke up, so I’m glad I had someone to explore with. Thank you.”

Her eyes were slightly wide in shock before she averted them away from his. “It’s really no problem, I mean... I’m glad you’re the one I looked around with. You’re pretty normal and not... totally unreliable.”

Even though it wasn’t much, Saihara felt as though he’d received a large amount of praise. Earlier she had scolded him being unreliable and her re-evaluation of him sent a pang of warmth in his chest. Maybe they were becoming closer.

“But don’t think this means you can slack off. Even if you’re one of the more normal ones here, don’t get too comfy, ok?”

Maybe he still had a ways to go.

They both departed to their rooms and Saihara made sure his door was properly closed. It was Monokuma’s fault he was feeling a tad paranoid.

Nighttime officially started at 10 p.m. and yet it was only 7:36 p.m., way too early to go to sleep and yet, Saihara felt so tired.

So much had happened today and he wasn’t sure how much his heart could take. Heading towards Hope’s Peak Academy, waking up in an unknown place, discovering they’d been kidnapped and weren’t allowed to leave unless they killed someone, and done an ungodly amount of walking. Saihara kicked off his shoes, put his hat on the counter before crawling into bed.

Tomorrow he’d help out, tomorrow he’d do more, but for now, he was going to rest.

He was so tired.

 

* * *

 

“Good morning, everyone! It is now 7 a.m. and nighttime is officially over. Rise and shine!”

What the _hell_ was that?

The horrible voice of Monokuma was what he had to here as his first thing waking up every day? Great.

Memories of the day before rushed through his mind in a flash and he groaned as he lazily rolled out of bed.

He decided to skip the shower and instead get dressed and head straight to the dining hall for breakfast. He may have arrived a bit later than he should have, having gotten ready reluctantly and sluggishly, so it wasn’t too much of a surprise to see almost everyone there.

“It seems that Saihara-kun did not decide to skip out on breakfast, unlike Kuzuryu-kun.” Celeste observed.

“What?” Ishimaru spun around. “He said he would be here yesterday, we must bring him here at once!”

Ouma gasped, “Kuzuryu-chan lied? Wow, what a shock.”

“I shall go get him, however, I cannot promise he will agree to come.” Unsurprisingly, Tojo volunteered herself to go.

“If it’s not too much trouble, but if he says he won’t come then there’s no need to keep wasting our time on him. If he wants to be left alone then we’ll leave him alone.” Koizumi said.

Tojo headed out the dining hall - breakfast having already been prepared - as they all sat down and started digging in.

Saihara started thinking about what he could do today as everyone discussed their next plan of action. Ideas were quickly brought up then shot down just as quickly; the number of suggestions put forth started dwindling down. They had already established that defeating Monokuma would be impossible less they wanted to end up dead, and even if someone was so crazy to try then another robot would apparently just pop up and replace the other.

“What if we dig our way out?” Mioda suggested.

“Atua tells me that we can use the shovel in the shed. Hmmm, but he says it’ll take a reeaally long time.”

“Let’s just do it anyway. We take our shovels and spoons and make a tunnel!” Nidai boasted.

“A-As long as that idiot does the d-digging.” Fukawa jabbed a finger at Hagakure.

“No way!”

Ouma whined, “I don’t wanna go in the dirt, I’m wearing all white! I have appearances to keep up.”

“I’m wearing white too, Ouma-kun, but that can’t stop us from trying our best to get out! Even if it pains me to ruin my uniform, we must.” Ishimaru said.

“What a pussy!” Iruma pointedly cackled at Ouma.

“There’s no need for that kind of language, Iruma-kun!”

Celeste sighed, holding a cup of tea up to her lips and muttered. “Honestly, it's far too early for this.”

During their bickering, Tojo had returned with Kuzuryu, effectively surprising the rest of them.

“I know this isn’t news to you but you’re late!” Ishimaru pointed a finger dramatically at Kuzuryu who only responded with a confused glance.

“The fuck do you mean? I’m not showing up when you tell me to show up. I’ll get my breakfast when I want, I’m not following your stupid schedule.”

“Wow so cool! Such a lone wolf!” Ouma leaned backwards to face Kuzuryu in his chair with a starry-eyed expression. Kuzuryu snarled. “But that was a lie. Being a lone wolf is totally cliche and lame, Kuzuryu-chan.”

Kuzuryu hunched up slightly, recoiling his head and looked a little disturbed as he answered Ouma. “You think I’m fucking around? I’m not playing these stupid games.”

“Aww, you don’t want to work with us?” This was the closest Angie had come to looking upset, however, her expression quickly morphed into something darker. “Atua says that those kinds of people are the ones who will get picked off first.”

This defiantly struck something within Kuzuryu and he snapped his head towards her, gritting his teeth as he took a few steps forward. “You tryin' to fight me, bitch?!” 

“Please stop you two. This isn’t helping anyone.” Tojo fixed them both with a stern look.

“She’s right.” Saihara didn’t want to incur the wrath of Kuzuryu but he didn’t really want this scene to play out any longer. Although Kuzuryu still wore an expression of anger, he stopped tensing and backed away.

“You guys can’t tell me what to do, so from now on just leave me alone.” He marched out of the room, breakfast apparently forgotten. Maybe it was a mistake to bring Kuzuryu here as someone as hostile as him may be better left alone. He clearly preferred it that way.

“That guy... he's nothing but trouble.” Koizumi sighed, weary and troubled.

“Just leave him be, it’ll be quite interesting to see if he breaks any of the rules.” Celeste giggled.

“No one will break the rules, we’ll all get out of here instead,” Ishimaru said determinedly, his tone laced with optimism.

“Yep, yep! Cuz we’re all such good friends.”Ouma backed up Ishimaru’s bold claim and Saihara almost covered his ears from the holler of happiness from Mioda by his side. Somehow, Saihara suspected Ouma wasn't being serious, he knew that the boy lied often and his tone always make it seem as though he were joking. Despite that, the tension evaporated.

Everyone desperately wanted to get out of here, and while some were confident that it would happen, Saihara could tell that not everyone felt the same way. Standing around wouldn’t help anyone, he decided. It was time to investigate.

When they’d finished their morning discussion, not learning anything new or noteworthy, Saihara dumped his plate in the sink and walked out with purpose. He hadn’t made it far down the hall when-

“Shuichi-chan!!!”

Saihara spun around in surprise and saw Mioda running down the hall, stopping in front of him, and bouncing slightly on the spot. “Where’s Shuichi-chan going?”

“Uh, outside. I’m just going to take a look around.” He answered.

“I see, I see. Ibuki thought you would do something like that so she has a present for Shuichi-chan!” Mioda cheered.

“A present?”

“Yep! It’s...” she trailed off in what Saihara thought was meant to be suspense. “Ibuki!”

“What?” Saihara asked in confusion.

“It’s Ibuki! Ibuki’s the gift. Shuichi-chan’s gonna be investigating, right? So Ibuki thought she’d be his assistant or something. Use Ibuki to crack the case and you can even have her brain too.”

He... wasn’t too sure how to respond to that, but from what it sounded like Mioda wanted to help him investigate. Even if the wording was weird, he understood that much.

“I- If you want to help then that’s fine, I don’t mind.”

“Yahooooo! Let’s go!” Mioda raced off outside, and Saihara reluctantly ran after her.

 

* * *

 

“Ibuki’s not small enough to fit through.” She said as she tried pushing her body through the gaps in the bars. “Maybe Angie-chan or Nanami-chan could fit. They're so small.”

“No, I don’t think they'd be able to.”

Mioda sighed and stepped away from the cage. If there was one thing she was, it was ‘energetic’. They hadn't even been outside for long before she started trying to climb up the academy, claiming she would get up to the other floors. Of course, she had barely managed to do such a thing and Saihara guessed they would've been there for a lot, lot longer if he hadn't begged her to stop. 

The two of them started walking around at the edge of the academy. If there was any part of the cage they could exploit to open it, they’d find it now. Saihara kept a sharp eye on the cage as Mioda rattled away by his side about Kuwata for some reason.

“Leon-chan doesn’t even know anything about music! He just came up to Ibuki and asked for her to be in his make-believe band while he does vocals! He hasn’t even thought about who would write the lyrics or who else would play. He knows nothing! She saw him try come up to her after breakfast so Ibuki ran out to meet Shuichi-chan. _Anything_ would have been better than talking to him.”

She kept talking as Saihara wondered if she realised she had just admitted that she didn’t even want to investigate with him in the first place. Suddenly, he paused. Mioda didn’t seem to notice it and kept walking. “Mioda-san.”

“He just likes the idea of being a musician.”

“Mioda-san.”

“Ibuki knows she makes it look cool but-“

“Mioda-san!”

She spun around. “Huh? How’d you get all the way over there?” She skipped back over to him before looking at the cage tilting her head. “Hmmm, is it just Ibuki or does it look pretty weird over here?”

“Mioda-san, it’s a door.”

“Huh?!”

The shape of the bars were slightly different here, the rectangular door-like shape of it clearly indicated that this was the way someone would get in an out of the cage. It was pretty big so it wouldn’t be a problem for someone like Nidai to get out, and it didn't look very obvious from a distance. He wondered why the door looking gate was all the way behind the school. Saihara put his hands through and felt around for any locks or keyholes but felt none, Mioda tried rattling the gate, but it didn’t budge one bit. 

“It must open electronically.”

“Let’s go tell everyone else.” Mioda was bursting with energy, but before she could run off Saihara stopped her.

“We should probably look around a bit more, just in case there’s anything we missed.” He said to which she groaned in response.

Saihara and a reluctant Mioda looked around outside for a bit, unfortunately seeing nothing else useful. When they came up with nothing, they headed back inside. They searched the storage closet which was mostly filled with junk; pens, paper, ordinary stationery, bags and a couple of empty shelves. If they ever wanted to store anything, they'd probably put it in here. They both decided to leave after seeing nothing that could help and halfway through their search a nuisance popped up.

“Hey, guys!” Monokuma had appeared out of thin air causing both Mioda, and unfortunately, Saihara, to shriek.

“What do you want?” He glared.

“That’s harsh! I just wanted to tell you that no ones brought anything from the Monokuma shop yet.” He looked down, kicking his paw-like legs in what was surely fake sadness.

“... So?” He deadpanned.

“So? Get some monocoins and start buying some gifts for your friends! I didn’t put them in there for nothing.” Monokuma threw him a sack of coins. “You can win more at the casino. Have fun!” And just like that, he disappeared. Saihara turned to Mioda and she didn’t seem intent on still following him around. Besides, he didn’t know what else to explore now, and he thought it’d be nice to give some gifts to some of the others.

“You don’t have to come with me.” He assured, however, Mioda started shaking her head.

“No, no, Ibuki wants to play at the casino.”

They both headed over there, but before he could make his way to the casino he was distracted by two people on one of the arcade machines.

It was no surprise to see Nanami sat down at the Gala Omega machine, her eyes fixated on the screen, the person beside her - Ouma - cheered as her score grew higher and higher. Mioda had bounced her way over to them and ended up joining Ouma in cheering for Nanami.

“Whoah!! Chiaki-chan’s a monster, look at her go!” Mioda squealed.

“Awh, c’mon. You have to be cheating Nanami-chan, there’s hacks on here right?”Saihara couldn’t see the slightest change in her facial features which probably indicated she wasn’t listening, but he had a feeling the Ultimate Gamer wouldn’t appreciate being accused of cheating.

Saihara made his way to the casino, drowning out the whoops and cheers in the background as he tried his luck.

 

* * *

 

“You have money?!”

Saihara jumped and spun around, nearly dropping the now fuller bag of monocoins after a voice shouted from behind him.“Hagakure-kun you surprised me.”

He ignored him, “You never told me you had money!”

Saihara looked down at the bronze coins, the middle melded into Monokuma’s horrific face. Hagakure sure seemed offended he hadn’t told him he had fake money. “It’s not real.” He informed.

“Wait, it’s not?” Hagakure leaned forward and eyed the coins before backing away with an obnoxiously loud and annoyed sigh. “Man no one here has any cash.” He then muttered something under his breath which Saihara had missed.

He had left Mioda to fawn over Nanami’s gaming skills as she clearly wasn’t interested in investigating with him anymore before he went to the shop by the storage room and looked to see what he could get. Maybe he could buy something for someone here; Koizumi and Mioda came into mind, they’d spent time with him investigating after all - Celeste too.

“But still... Hey, Saihara-chi, you wanna have your fortune told?” Hagakure grinned. Saihara was a little thrown off by the sudden change in subject, but he supposed that a request such as this was to be expected of the Ultimate Clairvoyant.

“This isn’t gonna cost money is it?” Never mind the fact that he didn’t have any money on him, but Saihara would never pay to have his fortune told, ever. He could be a lot wiser with his money; save it for food, stationary he needed to acquire, and new books. Not some fraudulent psychic reading that’s sole purpose was to lie and trick and deceive people into giving them their money and then coming back for more. Although... he couldn’t help but be a bit curious. Hope’s Peak Academy recognised him as an Ultimate, and Saihara would never entertain the idea that he actually had psychic powers, but he must be good at what he did to be able to get into the academy.

Then again Saihara also got in so many that wasn't saying much.

“Don’t worry about it, I’ll let you have the first one for free. That sounds about right. They’ve got twenty percent accuracy, so-“

“Twenty percent?!” Saihara exclaimed. He had to be joking.

“That’s what I just said! Twenty percent is way better than ninteen percent, right? So just trust me and I’ll tell you your future.”

“No thanks.” Saihara shoved his gifts and monocoins in his pockets swerving around Hagakure, who stood quite close to the entrance and then walked out. He should’ve known Hagakure was a fake, no way would he waste his time listening to a fortune that only had a twenty percent chance of being accurate. That was probably just what Hagakure said to suck people in.

“Hey?!”

He ignored Hagakure’s shout, and he had barely made it down the hallway, Hagakure attempting to follow before he felt a weight thud against his chest and a yelp of surprise, then the sound of bumping against the floor. Saihara stumbled in surprise, accidentally backing into Hagakure’s chest.

“Ow, ow, ow...” Saihara looked down at the splayed limbs draped in yellow muttering to herself.

“Yonaga-san?! I’m so sorry!” Saihara bent down, awkwardly hovering his hand out to help her, her slight grimace flipped into a smile and she took it, bouncing back up.

“Not ‘Yonaga-san’, ‘Angie-san’!” Saihara nodded. “Don’t worry Shuichi, Atua forgives you so I forgive you. No harm, no foul, he’s really merciful like that.”

“Uh... thanks.”

“Atua says no problem.” He hadn’t meant to thank Atua but wasn’t intent on correcting Angie.

It looked like Angie was about to say something else before Hagakure chirped in, “Hey, Angie-chi, your god has a crazy amount of followers right? Well, I have a great business idea that’ll benefit both of us.” And just like that he started rambling on about how he would sell CD’s spreading the word of Atua. He’d receive the money and Angie would get more followers. She ended up turning him down but still seemed interested in talking to him, telling him more about Atua. Hagakure looked more uncomfortable by the minute but kept listening, possibly to exploit an opportunity to make another business deal.

Saihara ended up sneaking away.

Maybe he’d head back to the casino and give Mioda her present? Would that be rude if he did that in front of Nanami and Ouma and didn’t give them a present? Maybe Nanami wouldn't mind but he didn't want to offend Ouma.

What... was he doing? Worrying about presents? That wasn't what he should be doing right now, right now, he should be investigating. 

The whole academy, he'd investigate the entire academy! Well... not all of it, just the bottom floor. 

Besides, if he didn't find anything now he still had that gate at the back of the academy to report. This would be fine.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next Chapter: A motive is introduced, and an incident causes the groups first tear.
> 
> EDITED A LOT

**Author's Note:**

> dghsjdhufygshbaj idk what I'm doing but I really wanted to write a killing game scenario but I kinda wanted to do something new and I already had the idea to make the characters from all three games interact so here we go! Writing is reallyyy relaxing. Also wtf are titles???? This gon be a slow start.


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